Do I Wanna Know?
by AvengerKitty
Summary: As his full lips meet hers, Stiles let's it all go - her insecurities, her anxieties, her unhappiness - and she allows her walls to crumble as she kisses him back. Maybe Derek would never love her back, but at least for the moment she can pretend that he could. Just for a little while. AU. Fem!Stiles. Sterek. Slow burn. Image belongs to Shamany on dA.
1. Harder and Harder to Breathe

**A/N:**

**Hello dear readers. So, first things first, my apologies to those of you who were reading (or had just begun reading) _Falling in Love As She's Walking Away_. I hadn't updated that fic in a few months, and trust me, if I'd had any desire to write more for that story I would have. I had just lost feeling for it, and I'm so sorry. ****This story however is hopefully going to make up for my losing interest. I hope you guys forgive me in time. **

**Alright, now the good news: this fic is going to feature Fem!Stiles and Fem!Danny! Plus, it's also a Sterek story, so yay~ **

**Heads Up: the Alpha pack hasn't happened yet. Instead, a bunch of random supernatural stuff happened (will be explained later; and it's 'not natural'). By the way, ****Scott is not the True Alpha yet. Going to work that in later, along with a possible appearance from the Alpha Pack and some surprise guest appearances (not telling!).**

**O-O-O**

**Note: Chapter is rated M for a concerning panic attack, anxiety, curse words, a few loud 'discussions', verbal abuse, etc.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, and/or it's amazing cast/characters. Which is a shame, really.**

* * *

Chapter One:  
Harder and Harder to Breathe

Stiles ran a hand through her longish brown hair several times as she struggled to control her breathing. She was freaking out, but then again, when was she _not_ freaking out? Seriously, her entire existence nowadays seemed to revolve around freaking out like the total spaz she was or some supernatural b.s. that wasn't easily solved or involved killing something brutally or a series of mysterious murders. Right now, it was a bit of all three. If she was being honest with herself, she was about ready for a nice, long vacation far the hell away from Beacon Hills. The town was a freakin' beacon for the supernatural!

Panic surged through her veins as her knees buckled with each labored breath. With her back against the wall, she sank weakly to the tile floor of her bathroom, her chest physically aching with anxiety. She was having a panic attack, and of course she was all alone.

_God she hated being alone._

She didn't have the energy to get up as someone ran two steps at a time up the stairs._ Great_. Tears ran down her dirt-stained cheeks as she clutched her sides. As someone entered her room, she found herself inhaling air through clenched teeth, hoping to god that it's not her dad about to find her. She loves her dad, but fuck, she didn't want him to see her like this. So weak, so broken; not the sarcastic, smart ass teenager he was raising. Not the girl who made up for her plethora of screw ups by getting perfect grades in spite of getting barely three hours of sleep each night and dealing with werewolf-related shit. This imperfect, stupid, scared little girl whose friends didn't a flying zip to check up on her after a brutal night of running through -

She choked on air when none other than Derek_-fucking_-Hale burst into her bathroom unannounced.

He froze upon seeing her, and if she weren't spiraling out of control, she would have laughed at his expression. It was caught between disbelief and concern, his bushy eyebrows furrowed in an almost comical manner and his mouth gaping at her haggard appearance. Yeah, Stiles knew that she looked horrible: her t-shirt was torn, her clothes splattered with the enemies blood and caked in dried mud. From her brief glimpse in the mirror, she knew that her hair was matted and sticking up all over the place, and that she had a nice-sized gash across her left cheek. And a good sized goose egg where an asshole vampire had bonked her head against the side of her Jeep, so...yeah.

_Her insane life in a nutshell_.

In a heartbeat, he took Stiles by the shoulders and commanded her to breathe. His gaze was unwavering as she tried to do as he told her to, without even meaning to. For unknown reasons she found his sad hazel-grey eyes strangely soothing. She had never felt this calm around Derek before, she realized, as her erratic heartbeat slowly but surely began to slow down. Her breathing soon followed, still a teeny bit wheezy, but otherwise fine.

"See? I knew you could do it," Derek said softly, his hands squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. "You just have to pace yourself."

Under normal circumstances, Stiles would have blushed at how the Alpha was treating her. It was as if he..._actually cared about her._ It was an interesting thought, to say the least. However, because this was not in anyway normal, she was extremely suspicious of his out-of-character behavior. Derek simply did not do kind and caring towards her; it was so unusual for him to treat the whiskey eyed girl like this it actually scared her a little.

_Okay, more like a helluva a lot..._

She flinches as he runs a thumb across her injured cheek, an unfathomable emotion is his eyes._ Uh, yeah, definitely terrified now dude!_

He immediately draws his hand back as if he were burned. "Sorry," he mumbles, and she swears that he seems to mean it.

She unconsciously bites her busted lip out of habit and gasps at the pain of such a simple act. He instantly looks concerned again, and she wants to smack him. He was obviously trying to win her trust by playing nice, which was a dick move and above all so rude and -

"Stiles, why are you looking at me like that?"

She blinks hard and gives him what she hopes is a bored look. "Like what?"

"Like you want to hit me."

She opens her mouth, but then closes it. Opens, closes, opens. "Maybe because I-I kinda want to."

She wants to slap herself as he raises a manly eyebrow at her. "How come?"

She fails to control her rising temper. "Because you're here right now...and you shouldn't be!"

He gives her a confused look. "Why not? Why am I not allowed to be here?"

He has unconsciously leaned forward, definitely invading Stiles' personal space. She cannot think of an intelligent response with him being so damn close.

"Um, well, because you kind of hate me...?"

Her heart pounds in her ears as his surprise shows through his normally sulky mask. "You think that I hate you?"

Is that a trick question? "Uh yeah?"

He shuts his eyes for a moment, as if in pain."I don't hate you."

_Oh_. "Oh."

He slowly reopens his eyes and gives her a pointed look. "I don't hate you, Stiles. You're an important member to this pack. How could I hate someone as selfless and brave as you?"

Shell-shocked, she stares at the older man as her brain attempts to compute what he just said. "Wait, what? I'm not.._.that brave_, Derek. I'm just _Stiles_! You know, useless, human Stiles who can't even defend herself without screwing everything up for everyone else? I'm not some creature of the night with superhuman abilities! I'm not - you guys don't need me, okay?! I'm not import-"

He grips her shoulders tightly, causing her to involuntarily squeak. "_**Don't ever say that**_!" Derek roars, his Alpha red eyes making an appearance. "Do you hear me?! _**Never****!**"_

She gasps at the close proximity of being this close to him. She's never been held like this by anyone, well, besides her parents, and Scott before. This is the closest to affection Derek has ever shone her...and she likes it, probably much more than she should.

"You_ are_ important, Stiles," he growls in her ear affectionately. It gave her unwanted chills. "You're important to...your dad. And Scott -"

"No," she cuts in, her voice cracking. "Scott doesn't need me. I nearly died tonight, Derek! Scott didn't answer any of my freakin' calls, and I had to distract a vampire long enough for Lydia and I to escape! We _barely_ made it out alive! I can't - Scott doesn't even care about what happens to me anymore. All he cares about is Allison! I mean, who could blame him?! She's perfect, and strong and awesome and I'm just -"

_**"Stiles!"**_

She freezes at the sound of the familiar voice_. Scott._ Her so called best friend stands in the open doorway of the bathroom, panting as if he had ran the whole way here from god knows where. Probably Allison's, Stiles thinks bitterly to herself.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't get to you in -"

In a flash, Derek has Scott by the throat and pins him to the wall. Stiles doesn't know what to do, let alone what to think, as the Alpha glares disdainfully into the Betas golden eyes.

"Do you even realize how _**stupid**_ you are?!" He hisses in Scott's face viciously. _Whoa, okay then_. "Where were you?! How could you let Stiles and Lydia go hunt fucking vampires by themselves?!_** What in the hell were you thinking?!**_"

As Scott gasps for air, Stiles is stunned. No one has ever defended her quite like that before. Not even Scott. She has mixed feelings about it, mostly because Derek's choking her best friend, whose been a total ass lately. He deserves to be yelled at, sure, but not choked to death. And the fact that _Derek Hale_ of all people is defending her. What was up with the universe? Was it out to get her? Seriously?

"Derek, stop," she says in a soft yet firm tone. Derek still hears her of course (werewolf hearing) and glances down at her.

"Why? He blew you off, and you could have died! Give me one good reason to let him go."

Stiles rubbed a hand over her dirty face in frustration. It was sweet (and talk about insane) that Derek was defending her and all, but still. "I can give you way more than just one. Scott is my brother, Derek. He may be a pompous ass hat and horribly selfish at the worst of times, but he's still my best friend. He'll still a good guy with a big heart when it counts, and he would do anything I asked of him. I love him, even though he's a jerk and I'm mad at him right now. But you learn to forgive your family, don't you?"

Derek's shoulders slack in defeat, knowing that her words ring true. After all, he had accepted Peter since he had risen (well, mostly, but it still counted). The Alpha sends her bestie the most terrifying death glare supernaturally possible before releasing him. The brown-eyed boy lands with a thud on the tile floor, gasping for sweet air like a fish out of water. He gives the teenage boy a disgusted look before turning to Stiles, his gaze softening.

"He doesn't deserve a friend like you," he says lowly, his fists clenching out of anger.

Stiles licks her bloody lips and nods solemnly, silently agreeing. Before Derek turned to go, however, he looks at her over his shoulder. Something in his eyes holds her in place, her heart skipping a beat. _What the hell...?_

"Oh and Stiles? You're more awesome than Allison could ever try to be."

And with that he left, leaving the teenage girl more confused than ever before.


	2. Wrecking Ball

**A/N:**

**Oh wow. I am so in shock right now: I have over a hundred views for this fic thus far! And so many favorites and followers in only two days! This is so amazing~ Thank you so much. ****You guys deserve another chapter for being so good this year ;)**

**Alright, back to business: it is now less than two days away from Christmas and I am _so excited!_ Why? Because CHRISTMAS. ****Although, thanks to Christmas, I probably won't update for a few days! Think of it as a late Christmas present :)**

**O-O-O-O**

**Shout outs to those of you who have left me such kind reviews!**

**PsychoticSmartypants: He does, doesn't he? And thank you very much!**

**pandabear1715: Awe thank you, I try. And I plan to :)**

**O-O-O-O**

**Note: Chapter is rated T for Teen. As in, only tenacious teenagers with terribly trifling understanding of the vast and lonely universe can comprehend the tongue-tying wit and splendor that is this chapter.**

**Disclaimers: I do not own Teen Wolf, or that cutie patootie Dylan O'Brien or any of the other hottie-McHottie-hot actors/actresses who make the whole show possible. I also do not own the song Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus, nor do I own the cover version later on quoted in this chapter.**

**Don't be shy to point out my mistakes if the lyrics are messed up!**

* * *

Chapter Two:  
Wrecking Ball

As Stiles purposely sat on the opposite side of the room, Scott banged his head on his desk in agony. The stubborn girl had been giving him the cold shoulder for nearly two weeks now, and damn did he feel guilty. Alas, the only thing worse than one woman being mad at you is two: Allison was also not speaking him to him at the moment. After she heard about what had happened to Stiles and Lydia, she didn't want a thing to do with him. Why? Well, maybe he had lied to her about who had been calling...okay, yeah, he_ had_ lied to her. Definitely not the best choice.

Since they got back together, he had sworn he would never lie to Allison ever again. And so, by lying to the young huntress for the umpteenth time, he had (obviously) compromised their circle of trust. It was safe to say that he was out of said circle of trust for the time being. It was killing him, knowing that he had momentarily lost both his girlfriend and his best friend in one fail swoop. Both girls were giving him the silent 'fuck you' treatment. Not that he didn't deserve it, of course, because he totally did. But damn, why did his stupidity have to hurt so much?

He heard Isaac snicker from his seat beside Stiles and he groaned. When he and Allison weren't together, she hung out with Isaac. He didn't care what she said, the taller boy had a thing for his girl - er, his _ex_ - and the Beta disliked the idea of them being friends, let alone close friends. It made his wolf growl with protective jealousy every time he saw her with Isaac after a particularly nasty fight.

Now that Isaac was consoling Stiles as well, he might as well be doomed.

"McCall? You okay there, buddy?"

Scott looked up to find Coach Finstock and the rest of the class gawking at him. Uh oh. His melt down must have been more obvious than he thought. He frowned at Isaac's smug expression when he glanced in his direction. Why was he being such a jerk lately?

Sighing, he ran a hand through his short hair in frustration. He would deal with Isaac later. Right now, he needed to concentrate on staying sane.

"Yeah Coach. I'm good."

Finstock gave him an appraising look before nodding and continuing on with his lesson. Scott's forehead found refuge once more on his desk as the spastic lacrosse Coach rambled on, his aching heart metaphorically bled out onto the floor.

_Today was going to be a long and miserable day._

* * *

Ever since what Stiles had dubbed 'the Incident', she had been keeping mostly to herself. Aside from speaking with Isaac in Economics and Lydia in AP Physics, she was on her own. When she was feeling emotional, she preferred isolation; she didn't want to mistakenly take out her anger out on an innocent bystander. It also wasn't in her nature to let people feel sorry for her, either, so she told Isaac and Lydia that she was fine (or would be fin eventually) and headed to the library for her free period.

That's where she found solace after the craziness let down some: the library. When she had nothing better to do, this is where she would seek refuge. In the fiction section, their was a reading area where people would come to chill out, cram, and do serious study sessions. Lucky for her, she just so happened to be doing a bit of all of the above today.

Picking out her favorite red chair, she pulled out her notes and dug her precious iPod out of her coat pocket. With her ear buds safely in and one of her favorite jams playing, she found herself relaxing for the first time in a long time:

_We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain_  
_We jumped never asking why_  
_We kissed, I fell under your spell,_  
_A love no one could deny..._

She mouthed the words to the song as she highlighted sentence after sentence in her Physics text book. She liked this version of the song much more than the original; it was a cover performance done by a talented Youtube artist named Jona Selle. And by god, his voice was like_ sex._

_Don't you ever say I just walked away_  
_I will always want you_  
_I can't live a lie, running for my life_  
_I will always want you..._

She got so lost in the music that she didn't notice a certain werewolf intently watching her from nearby.

_I came in like a wrecking ball_  
_I never hit so hard in love_  
_All I wanted was to break your walls_  
_All you ever did was wreck me_  
_Yeah, you, you wreck me_

The emotional strokes of the guitar kept her grounded as her fingers unconsciously tapped to the beat. It was true what they say: music does soothe the soul.

_I put you high up in the sky_  
_And now, you're not coming down_  
_It slowly turned, you let me burn_  
_And now, we're ashes on the ground_

_Don't you ever say I just walked away_  
_I will always want you_  
_I can't live a lie, running for my life_  
_I will always love you..._

She jumped in surprise when a large hand came down on her shoulder. Textbook in hand, her readiness to attack slipped away once she turned and found a familiar face staring back at her: _Derek_. His full lips twitched into a smirk as she lowered her weapon of choice. One of her ear buds was still jammed in her ear, however, so she could still hear the music that had been giving her so much ease.

_I came in like a wrecking ball_  
_I never hit so hard in love_  
_All I wanted was to break your walls_  
_All you ever did was wreck me_

"Oh hey, Derek," she mumbled, embarrassed beyond belief. He sat down in the vacant chair next to her, their knees brushing. Her stomach knotted in anticipation. She hadn't seen the older man since he had defended her two weeks ago. "Long time no see?"

_I came in like a wrecking ball_  
_Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung_  
_Left me crashing in a blazing fall_  
_All you ever did was wreck me_  
_Yeah, you, you wreck me  
_

_I never meant to start a war_  
_I just wanted you to let me in_  
_And instead of using force_  
_I guess I should've let you win_

"It's nice to see you too, Stiles," he said, folding his arms over his broad chest. She tried not to be appear distracted by the stubble of his jaw, or the insanely perfect muscles flexing beneath his tight t-shirt. It was like he was showing off his physique on purpose, giving her a show. Was he? Nah, that was ridiculous...right?

_I never meant to start a war_  
_I just wanted you to let me in_  
_I guess I should've let you win_

Her heart skipped a beat as he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward on his elbows, so close yet so far away. She swallowed thickly at his closeness, unsure how to proceed. Derek was obviously toying with her, seeing how far he could push her. This was all a game to him, an innocent game.

_I came in like a wrecking ball_  
_Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung_  
_Left me crashing in a blazing fall_  
_All you ever did was wreck me_  
_Yeah, you, you wreck me_  
_Yeah, you, you wreck me_

_Don't you ever say I just walked away  
I will always want you..._

As the song came to a tragic end, she licked her lips nervously. The Alpha wolf was eyeing her like a hungry predator, and not that she wasn't flattered. It wasn't often attractive men gave her looks like that. But it still made her feel nervous...

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

She wanted to face palm herself. Those were the same exact words Derek had asked her, well, _that day_. The Incident. Something in his eyes sparkled, and he smiled a genuine smile, showing off his bunny teeth. It caught her by surprise, how cute he looked when he let down his guard. _How freaking normal he seemed._

"You just look, well, pretty today is all," he said, actually managing to look _shy._ She was going to have an a mini-stroke because of how well he pulled off good-looking-yet-shy. _  
_

"I'm not _that_ pretty," was her instant response. "If anything, I'm a bit of a Plain Jane. I don't even wear make up, for goodness sake! Plus, have you seen what I'm wearing today? How can you say that I, all of people, look pretty?"

Derek's smile slipped and his hazel-grey eyes darkened. Something inside of her clenched at the very sight. No, come back sweet Derek! Why'd you leave so soon?

"You honestly don't think you're pretty?" He sounded so shocked when he said it, it made her blush. "Why not?"

She looked away from him, unsure of herself. She had never thought of herself as pretty in the least. Was that too hard to understand? She risked taking a look at him, caught in his stern gaze. Apparently he _did_ expect an answer. _Crap._

"I'm just not, Derek," she grumbled, hoping he'd drop it.

He didn't. No, instead her dear Sourwolf dipped her chin up with his forefinger and thumb, and forced her to look him in the eye. It was both intensely hot and terrifying at the same time.

"You, Stiles, are _very_ pretty," he practically purred, and her stomach did somersaults. "Beautiful, even."

He let it her chin go, giving her a moment to process that thought. It was impossible, yet here was_ the_ Derek Hale, saying that she was _pretty._ It was crazy, absurd, irrational, and yet she wanted to believe him. Wanted to accept what he told her as a fact, and nothing less. It made her feel weird, when she came to the realization that very few people had ever called her pretty before and meant it.

And if her memory served correctly, no one but her mother had ever called her beautiful.

It was very...disarming.

"Stiles? Are you okay?"

She blinked away unwanted tears and gave him a shaky smile. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Perfect, in fact. I just...my mom's the only person whose ever called me that."

He cocked his head at her questioningly. "Called you what?"

"Beautiful."

It unintentionally came out as a whisper, but it didn't matter, she knew he would hear her.

He tensed beside her, and she was instantly worried that she had made him angry. An angry Alpha was a scary Alpha. Then, out of the blue, he had her in his arms again and it was, er,_ warm_. The body temperature difference was incredibly evident as he held her close, her face just barely nuzzling the crook of his neck. Same as before, she enjoyed being held by him for unexplained reasons. As the initial shock wore off, silent tears ran down her cheeks. He proceeded to hold her as she cried, her arms gripping him just as tightly.

Derek was a good guy underneath all that rough and tough attitude.

It just took some digging to find out.

As they hugged it out, they were completely unaware that they were being watched.


	3. Damn Your Eyes

**A/N:**

**Hello there dear readers! As promised, here is another glorious chapter for you to enjoy and give me feedback on. Go ahead, don't be shy. Also, why I'm here, thanks to everyone who has been reading this fic since I first posted it. I didn't expect over four hundred views in only a few days! And to be honest, I didn't expect sixteen people to follow this so fast! Much appreciated!**

**Note: Chapter is Rated T as always for obvious grown up reasons. **

**Disclaimers: I do not own Teen Wolf or anything along those lines. Thank you Jeff for being an awesome guy and creating the show, though! And for Criminal Minds. Love me some Reid ;)**

**Heads up: Erica and Boyd are still alive. Call me sentimental, but I like them as characters. **

**(Also, I know Derek doesn't talk that much, I just wanted you guys to know that the part that's in his POV is pretty much his consciousness)****.**

* * *

Chapter Three:  
Damn Your Eyes

After Stiles had lied to him and Lydia about being fine, Isaac had taken it upon himself to follow to her to the library. You know, just to check up on her and make sure she was okay. Not in a stalker-y way, more like a protective older brother way. Stiles was quickly becoming one of his closest friends, next to Allison, and he didn't want her to feel the need to lie to him about anything.

Especially if it was a big deal to her.

He knew that she hated to be alone. The way her eyes would lose their shine when she overheard someone making plans without her was enough proof to convince him. As a member of his pack, he saw Stiles as a sister, and he sure as hell didn't want her to ever feel unwanted or lonely.

He had felt that way too often to see another person suffer.

His initial plan had been to offer a shoulder to cry on, if need be. He knew that she liked to hide out in the reading corner, and he had mentally prepared himself in case she was having a break down. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Those plans flew out the window the moment he entered the library.

Honestly, he hadn't been prepared to find Derek of all people hugging a distressed Stiles in a rather intimate manner. The salty cent of tears had hit him full on, making his wolf whine with worry. The older man just held the teenager while she wept, not saying a single word.

It was a shocking scene, in more ways than one.

Since when did_ Derek_ treat people with such compassion? Sure he wasn't all that bad, but his Alpha had never openly shown an interest in Stiles, at least not to him. Then again, the broody older man wasn't one to confine in anyone, let alone his pack. He was the strong, silent type that bottled up his emotions and struggled with his dark and lonely past.

He knew better than to interrupt such a touchy moment.

After walking in on that, Isaac knew full well that Derek wouldn't want the rest of the pack knowing about this. Erica would fuck with him and question his place as Alpha, probably making some jokes about him being weak-in-the-knees for a human and unfit to be a leader. Boyd would most likely just grin and shake his head, enjoying Erica getting a rise out of Derek. As much as he wanted to see that, he didn't have a death wish.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to ask questions.

And since he was Derek's favorite, he thought with a smirk, he could get away with it.

* * *

Derek wasn't sure what to think anymore. After he had comforted Stiles in the library, he had been left emotionally drained and just, _ugh_. He had driven well over the speed limit to get back to the loft, his wolf howling the entire way. He wasn't the type of guy to talk about his feelings; it was something that had always had trouble expressing.

But with Stiles..._it was so easy_. When he was angry, he was furious. He acted on impulse, letting the wolf out on instinct. Unfortunately, he had "accidentally" hurt her a few times. Sure, he regretted not being in control around someone so innocent. Who wouldn't? But he had never claimed to be Mr. Perfect, had he? And some of the times had roughed her up a bit were for her own good!

When he was depressed, he hardly spoke to anyone for days at a time. His pack knew to give him space, and so did everyone else. Except for her. She always pushed his buttons in the worst way, rambling on and on about god knows what. She saw through his broodiness, saw that he needed someone to cheer him up. He hated it but also secretly appreciated it.

When he felt happy, which was a rarity nowadays, he found himself smiling and laughing and actually feeling pretty damn good. He mostly smiled around the loft, or when Stiles wasn't looking. Today had been an interesting one to say the least...

O-O-O-O-O

He had actually come by the school to confront Scott and shake him up a bit, but his wolf had been drawn to the library, so of course he wandered in. It was a wonder that the school hadn't upped their security since the attacks, but hey, it was a small town high school. He had began to wonder what had led him there when he smelt it: _vanilla_. Stiles unique scent was a mixture of vanilla, mint, and honey. It was intoxicating, not that he'd say so out loud, but still.

Stiles was just so, er, _Stiles_.

In no time at all, Derek had found her in a small corner in the fiction section. She was curled up in a red chair, going through some notes and listening to her iPod. He had smirked when he saw that the chair was nearly the same shade of red as her favorite hoodie. To someone else, observing her as he had would seem weird or creepy; he saw it as not disturbing someone who worked hard for their grades. As he took in her appearance, he noticed the dark circles lining her whiskey eyes. It had actually concerned him that she wasn't sleeping well; then again, who could after what she'd been through the past six months?

In the middle of her jam session, he had put a hand on her shoulder and scared the living crap out of her. It hadn't been intentional, but the look on her face when she turned around and saw that it was him was priceless. He had given her a smirk before he sat down, her face burning bright with embarrassment. It had actually been pretty...adorable, if he had to borrow a word from Peter.

Yeah, he was never going to think the word "adorable" and his uncles name in the same sentence ever again.

It was so interesting, flirting with her and seeing her reactions play out. Stiles was a very expressive person, one who wore her heart on her sleeve. She was so easy to read it was insane. It was more than obvious that she was attracted to him; he didn't need his heightened senses to know that. And yet, he wasn't playing with her per-say...no, it wasn't like that at all. He just enjoyed messing with her sometimes. He would never purposely hurt her, if he could help it.

He wasn't a complete asshole.

What had shocked him, though, was when she told him that she wasn't pretty. Man, that had really thrown him for a loop. How could she _not_ see how gorgeous she was? She was tall, with slight curves and a lithe build. Sure, she didn't have what Erica called "a ghetto booty" or "big boozums", but he still found her body attractive. And it didn't stop there. From her sexy pixie cut, to her heart-shaped face, to her mole spotted, deliciously pale skin she was so beautiful it made his heart ache to know that she had no idea.

That she had absolutely no fucking clue that was so much more than just a 'Plain Jane'.

It was the eyes that got him every time. They were an intense whiskey brown, with an almost wolfish quality. They saw right through you with just a glance, digging up your dirty little secrets and making you want to spill your guts. He had a feeling that she had her mother's eyes, and that the Sheriff had fallen for them long before he knew the woman they belonged to.

He didn't just find her looks attractive; in spite of his better judgement, he actually _liked_ her incessant chatter and witty banter. He enjoyed her intelligence, when she actually said something smart or came up with a good plan for the pack to follow. He craved her presence, and whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not, he did like Stiles as a person. Sadly, he often played it off like she was too annoying to be around, but it was all a cover up. He respected the hell out of her, which was saying something because Derek Hale didn't respect a lot of people.

Derek wasn't a man of many words, so when he said something he usually meant it.

He thought Stiles was beautiful, inside and out.

As he lay down on his bed, the Alpha couldn't help but wonder how anyone could have let Stiles go so long without comfort. How no one had come along before him and allowed her to open up to them, and just_ feel_. He wasn't an emotional guy, but he understood what it meant to hurt. What it meant to be in pain and have no one standing by you.

He could still smell her on his clothes, the dried tear stains making his heart race and his wolf whine with sympathy. She was so young, and yet she had already been dealt so much. She had lost her mother at such a young age, and she had nearly died several times for sticking her neck out for other people. And now her best friend, whom she cared about, was treating her like dirt. Because of a stupid girl. And Stiles didn't feel like she measured up, when in reality, she was better than Allison as a person, because she was selflessly devoted to the ones she loved.

It wasn't logical, it was totally against his nature, and yet he didn't want to see her in pain.

He _cared_ about _Stiles Stilinski,_ the girl who called him _Sourwolf_ to his face just to spite him...and got away with it.

He wanted to keep her safe, to make sure she knew she was worth fighting for.

And he would rather have wolfsbane shoved down his throat than admit it out loud.


	4. Comfortably Numb

**A/N:**

**H****oly cow, this fic now has over eight hundred views! Thank you so much to those of you who favorited/followed this, and/or left such positive reviews! Your support is much appreciated!**

**O-O-O-O**

**Shout outs~  
**

**PsychoticSmartypants: Oh my goodness, thank you so much for the endless compliments! Derek is such a difficult character to work with; he doesn't talk a lot, and he's as stubborn as a mule, but I do enjoy writing from his POV. I appreciate your enthusiasm about the wolfsbane bit, that was too funny :) He will man up soon enough, trust me. Also, I'm glad that you like my writing style. I absolutely love writing Fem!Stiles; it just comes naturally to me for some reason. Thank you again for the awesome reviews!**

**O-O-O-O**

**I was in a writing mood, so here *smashes coffee cup* ANOTHER! As always, please read and review!**

**Note: Rated T for blood, icky stuff, fluff, wild goose chases, naughty curse words, etc. Don't read if you have a weak stomach.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or anything recognizable (which I doubt, 'cause most of what I write is right off the top of my head).**

* * *

Chapter Four:  
Comfortably Numb

_It was pouring rain as Stiles ran through the dense forest. Fear pushed her to keep going, to run as fast as her skinny chicken legs could carry her. What she was running from was a mystery, but she somehow sensed that it was bad. She could practically _feel_ the evilness pulsating around her as thunder boomed overhead. Lightning lit up the darkness every few seconds, making the shadows play tricks on her. She could've sworn she heard Lydia screaming, and gunshots going off in the distance._

_The spontaneous howling of wolves only made her feet pump faster._

_As the trees started to thin out, she stopped dead in her tracks at the base of what was once a massive tree. It frightened her, how drawn to it she was. As she experimentally ran her hand across the wooden surface, she was startled by a strong pulse. She immediately withdrew her shaky hand, afraid. Trees didn't have heartbeats, they weren't flesh and blood. Stumps were technically not alive anymore, so how in the world was she able to feel -_

_Something ran smack dab into her, effectively knocking the breath out of her as she fell to the ground. She kicked and clawed and punched like hell to get away from her attacker, but it was no use. He was so much stronger than her, and he smelled - familiar?_

_"Derek!" She gasped, as he continued to hold her down. "What the actual fuck?! Get off me!"_

_His red eyes glowered back at her. "Stay down and shut up."_

_Her mouth abruptly closed as a pair of werewolves came running up, halting at the base of the tree. They were merely a few feet away from her and Derek, and yet it was like they didn't exist. Wait, was that some special werewolf power now? Or was it just an Alpha thing? As the two rogue wolves wandered off, Derek's hold on her slacked and she huffed. Talk about rude. _

_"Dude, what in the hell was that about?" She whisper yelled. _

_The blank look he gave her pissed her off. She scrambled to her feet, ready to leave his crazy werewolf ass, when he r__oughly grabbed her wrist. The way he glared right into her soul didn't faze her at all. Nope. Nah-uh. Not even a little. He didn't break eye contact for a full two minutes, the bastard. __With a growl, he released her, and she smirked internally. He couldn't pull that little threatening-werewolf-trick with her anymore. _

_She wasn't going to fall for it._

_"I was masking your scent, so they wouldn't attack you," he grumbled, sitting on the stump. He gestured for her to sit, and she obliged without a word. _

_They sat there in a momentarily awkward silence before he spoke again. "Aren't you cold?"_

_She laughed humorlessly. Her favorite red jacket was soaked, as were the rest of her clothes. Seriously, even her sneakers were filled with water. And let's not forget that it was the middle of winter and she could see her breath. __Before she could react, Derek's signature leather jacket was draped across her bony shoulders. She gaped at him as he began to walk off, and it took her a moment to gather her wits and follow him._

_It was the first time Derek had shown her an act of kindness._

O-O-O-O-O

Stiles woke with a start as the alarm on her phone blared next to her head. She had forgotten about that night in the woods; it had happened months ago, but she would never forget it. Derek hadn't asked for his jacket back, and hadn't given it to him. Instead, she had it draped across the back to her desk chair. Mostly for sentimental reasons, since the freaking thing swallowed her hole (yeah, she liked to try it on when no one was looking. So what?).

Truthfully, she liked having it in her room. It's ironic significance reminded her of a nightlight, keeping her safe at night from the boogeyman. It was also major a bonus that it made Scott furious every time he came over and hung out. If he suddenly remembered that she existed, that is.

He claimed that it "stunk like Derek", but she begged to differ. Derek didn't smell bad; oddly enough, he smelled like worn leather, pine needles, rain, and lemon cookies. She hadn't expected him to smell so..._good. _Not that she'd ever tell him that, 'cause that would be bad. Very bad. Like-werewolf-teeth-ripping-out-the-throat kind of bad. Yep. Death by bad ass werewolf. What a way to go.

As she rolled out of bed, she nearly pissed herself at the sight of Derek standing broodily over by the window. _Speak of the devil!_

"Son of a crack whore! _Derek_, I thought we talked about this?!"

He didn't make a sound as his body went slack and he fell to his knees.

"Derek?" She said worriedly, rushing over to the Alpha. She sputtered when she saw that his left side was soaking wet with blood. _Shit_. In spite of this, she kept a damper on her panic and tried to stay focused on the obviously injured man. "Hey Sourwolf, what's going on? Are you okay? Do you need me to play doctor 'cause I can totally -"

He placed one of his large hands weakly against her mouth. "...please, be quiet."

She frowned against the palm of his hand, internally squealing at the thought of his calloused fingers touching her._ No_. Bad thoughts. Stop! Derek's injured, not coming onto you girl!

She removed his hand gently, still unaware of the extent of his injuries. She threw his other arm over her shoulder, half-dragging him, half supporting him over to her bed. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when she noticed the blood trail. _Oh god no._

Without a word, Derek whipped his shirt off and revealed the source of the blood: a god awful gash on his side. Probably made by claws. The gauze was already soaked through with his blood, and she shivered at the sight of it. _Ugh_. She felt like throwing up; unfortunately, she'd always had a weak stomach. However, Derek needed her, and that is what kept her from running to the hills. He had come to her for a reason, and it wasn't for her to wuss out.

_It was for her to help him._

"Fuckin' a, Derek," she grumbled, heading to her bathroom for the first aid kit. After the supernatural becomes apart of your life, it's a necessity to own one. Hers was special kit because it held magical healing junk that Deaton had given her for cases such as this.

She wasted no time in removing the soiled gauze, keeping a poker face at the ickiness of even touching it. She quickly whipped out some masking tape, sewing needle and surgical thread, and fresh bandages.

She used a wad of gauze to soak up some rubbing alcohol, so she could remove some of the excess blood and grossness. To her displeasure, she managed not to gag too much as she cleaned the wound and actually focused on Derek's impressive physique. Muscles, think of the muscles, she chanted numbly inside her head. He has nice, firm muscles.

Derek didn't so much as flinch the entire time, which really worried her.

As she sterilized the needle with a lighter, she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Don't worry big guy, this won't hurt...much."

His hazel-grey eyes winced. The big bad wolf_ really_ didn't like needles.

She promised it would be quick.

O-O-O-O-O

Twenty minutes later, a drowsy, shirtless Derek Hale was leaning back against her pillows, stubbornly trying to stay awake. It was too cute that he was trying to stay alert to protect her, but seriously, he needed to sleep. She could take care of herself for a couple hours. After all, she was an independent woman...

"So Derek...what happened?"

"What did I saw about talking?"

"Uh not to? But since I'm practically your bed nurse I think it's allowed -"

"Stiles, shut up."

"But I really don't -"

"_**Stiles!**_"

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine! I just don't see _why_ I have to be quiet when you're obviously allowed to spe-"

Full lips met hers, effectively silencing the hyperactive teen and making her weak in the knees. It lasted mere seconds, but it might as well have lasted hours. His lips were soft against her chapped ones, so gentle and sweet. It was too good to be true. He pulled away abruptly, leaving Stiles speechless and dizzy, but in a good way.

_Oh my sweet baby Jesus._

He smirked in satisfaction as she sat boneless in her desk chair, mindful of the jacket that still hung there. _Derek who just kissed her for no good reason's jacket_. She licked her lips anxiously, tasting blood. Why would he do that? Was it really just to shut her up? Or did he have an ulterior motive behind his actions? Was she reading too much into this? Maybe so.

Scott and Isaac suddenly burst into the room, stopping at the sight of Derek on Stiles' bed. Isaac gave Derek a knowing look, and his Alpha growled in irritation. What was_ that_ all about?

"Took you too long enough to get here," he grumbled, as Isaac sat on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry, your highness, we didn't know where to find you," Isaac joked, and Derek snorted. That was as close as a laugh that she had never heard from Derek, like, _ever._

A sudden realization punched her in the gut: she had never, in all of the time she had been around Derek, made him laugh. Not once. If he didn't laugh at her corniness, that could only mean one thing: that kiss didn't mean anything. It was just a dirty trick.

Scott saw the stricken look on her face and just seemed to _know_ she was not okay. Oh right, werewolf senses. Oops. She had forgotten that werewolves felt other peoples emotions. He sank down on the floor besides Stiles' chair, and she ran her fingers through his thick hair. Goddamn it. Was she that easy to read? Was that why Derek played with her like he did? Because it was funny to fuck with poor little Stiles? Huh?

When she risked a glance a Derek, she froze. Did her eyes deceive her, or was Derek giving Scott the stink eye? His gaze softened when he caught her staring at him, and the tips of his ears burned red. Holy shit, he _so_ was! That kiss did mean something after all! YES!

She was startled out of her revelation as Allison gracefully entered the room, crossbow in hand.

"We have a problem."

_Great._


	5. Yamaha

**A/N:**

**I'm so happy right now! You guys have no idea. This fic now has over a thousand views! OVER A THOUSAND! And over twenty followers! OH MY GOODNESS. I was not expecting this fic to have so much attention so soon! I send you all my platonic love! *sending the love, receiving the love***

**O-O-O-O**

**Quick Shout outs~**

**jreads12: Awe thank you! And I'm trying to keep my updates as consistent as possible.**

**PsychoticSmartypants: WOO~ Haha, I figured you'd approve of the manning up ;) It can only get better from here on, right? And as previously stated, I'm trying my best to keep the updates flowing. Most of the time I say when I'm going to update, but if something comes up I will say so in the next update.**

**O-O-O-O**

**Note: Chapter is rated T for emotions, curse words, fluffy goodness, fiery balls of doom. You know, all that jazz.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf. I wish I did so I could make Sterek canon...but I do not see it happening in the foreseeable future, sorry.**

**P.S. The chapter title is the song Yamaha by Delta Spirit. The song's amazing, listen to it while you read this chapter. **

* * *

Chapter Four:  
Yamaha

Stiles sank deeper in her chair as Allison explained what was going on: the pack of vampires the Argent's (and Stiles and Lydia) had been tracking had vanished. Poof, out of thin air. Her father was more than worried: a pack of vampires was just as bad as a pack of feral werewolves, if not worse. The old legends that surrounding vampires were right on the money, except for the fact that sunlight had little to no affect unless they had taken the blood of the innocent. Which was a major bummer, by the way, if you were an inexperienced huntress.

The leader of this particular pack was the one who had taken a chunk out of Derek, which explained why he wasn't healing properly. An injury dealt by a vampire as strong and cunning as an Alpha werewolf would take at least two weeks to heal. These creatures of the night definitely did not play nice. Hunter intel said that the vamps were laying low for now, but Allison was convinced it was only a matter of time before they made their next move. Which was just _awesome._

God she hated vampires._**  
**_

With Scott sitting in-between her legs, she felt a little better. He had a hand wrapped around her left ankle, and she could feel him trying to suck the worry out of her with his freaky werewolf powers. She poked him in the cheek and told him to quit it, but he just kept on. She tried to ignore Derek's eyes on her the entire time, but it was proving to be difficult. She was still ecstatic that he kissed _her, on the lips, on purpose_.

It was a magical thought.

" - and we need to get a move on. Scott, Isaac, while Derek's recuperating, you're going to help me and my dad set up a perimeter. Okay?"

Isaac dutifully followed Allison as she left the room, and Scott tensed. Stiles knew that her best buddy still had feelings for his ex, but damn he needed to let it go. Isaac and Allison had a cute brother/sister relationship, not a romantic one. She smacked him on the back of the head and he glared at her half-heartedly. She stuck her tongue out at him as he scrambled to his feet.

"I'll come by later to check on you two," he said seriously, as he lingered in the doorway.

Derek made an authoritative growling noise, prompting the teen wolf to go away. Scott gave Stiles a pointed look, which she returned with a roll of her eyes. He gave her a crooked grin before bounded down the stairs after his lady love.

Stiles sighed in defeat and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do about Derek? They were probably going to be alone together all day. Her dad was supposed to be pulling an all-nighter, but that didn't mean he wouldn't stop by for a change of clothes or to check on her. How would she explain Derek being in her bed, let alone their house?

She was startled out of her reverie by a pair of hands grasping her wrists. On instinct, she tried to pull away, but the hands held firm. She slowly met Derek's gaze, and caved. She was befuddled by his gentlemanly actions as he led her over to the bed. And yet she didn't dare argue with him as she lay down, watching him warily as he lay down on the other side of her. He was propped up by several pillows (Stiles has a thing for fluffy pillows) so he wouldn't accidentally hurt himself if he feel asleep.

She honestly had no clue how to act around him now.

"Do you think the others will be okay?" She blurted out randomly.

_Uh oh._ She ran her fingers through her short hair nervously, waiting for Derek to snap at her for asking such a stupid question...but the anger never came.

Instead, he hesitantly linked his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "I think so."

She swallowed thickly. "Yeah? Even without us?"

He chuckled darkly, and something fluttered in her chest. "Maybe."

She tentatively scooted closer to him, asking permission with her eyes before she leaned into his uninjured side. With a brisk nod, Stiles found herself snuggling against Derek Hale, his muscly arm wrapping around her slim form so she could lay her head on his massive chest.

"Mmm you're so warm," she mumbled, her eyelids drooping sleepily. "And comfy. Have you always been this comfy? I wouldn't think someone as muscular as you should be this comfy. It should be illegal."

He out right laughed at that, cringing only slightly at the pull in his side. She happily grinned up at him, and he caught it. "What?"

She ran her bottom lip through her teeth. "Oh nothing. It's just, that's the first time I ever heard to you laugh before is all."

He made a face. "Really?"

"Uh yeah. You aren't exactly a barrel full of laughs, Mr. Grouchy."

"I'm not _that_ grouchy," he grumbled, making an adorably grouchy face. She giggled hysterically as he snuggled closer to her, resting his chin on top of her head. "Am I?"

Her cheeks flushed. "M-maybe just a little."

He scoffed at that. "Fine. I guess you don't want my warmth after all..."

He made as if to get up, but Stiles gripped his arm tightly. "No! Stay, I like being warm and toasty!"

He smirked down at her and she frowned up at him.

"You're a jerk."

"And you're a spazz."

"And that's a bad thing?"

He paused, a thoughtful gleam in his eye. "Not necessarily, no."

Her whole face lit up like a tomato. She hadn't been expecting _that_. "But I - I thought you said I was annoying...?"

"Everyone annoys me. You should know that by now."

"Awe, and here I was, thinking I was special," she joked, poking him in the cheek.

He caught her off guard by cradling her face delicately in his rough hands. "You are."

She choked on air, and her voice came out high pitched. "_What?_"

The love and affection burning in his eyes at the moment could have started a fire. "You're special to me, Stiles."

A loud explosion caused them both to jump apart, and they shared a look of disbelief. Naturally, they both got up to investigate, Derek trailing behind her down the stairs. As she threw open the front door and grabbed her keys, the teenager wanted to shoot herself in the foot. Of course all hell would broke loose when she started having a love life. Seriously, why did she expect things to go easy for once? First vampires, now explosions?!

_Damn, why did life have to be so hard?_


	6. Let It Be

**A/N:**

**Oh. My. God. Do you guys even know how elated I am?! This fic now (as of Jan. 4. 2014) has _33 followers_ and _16 flippin' favorites!_ How in the heck does that even happen so fast?! And over fifteen-hundred views? Thank you so much ****dear readers and to those of you who left such amazing reviews! You're awesome!**

**Heads Up: As for my next post, it may or may not be late next week. ****I'm shooting for next Wednesday, b****ut if you have to wait until Friday or Saturday for an update, my apologies in advance.**

**(IGNORE THE RANT BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE TRAILER FOR PART 2 OF SEASON 3 YET)**

**In other news, the second half of the third season comes out on Monday. Yay~ I'm personally looking forward to the Stydia and Alisaac (is that their ship name?) feels and the scary demons and Scott moving on with a new girl and the Undead!Kate and crazy Stiles drama!****  
**

**O-O-O-O**

**Here are some quick Shout Outs~**

**PsychoticSmartypants: Whoa. I'm happy that you liked it so much! Don't die yet, this is only the beginning! And as always, thank you for the plethora of compliments.**

**happy bryce: Thank you, that means a helluva lot!**

**Guest: Thank you very much, anonymous reader! There's more Sterek love and junk coming your way!**

**O-O-O-O**

**Note: Chapter is rated T for mild violence, the feels, fluffy goodness, drama, and good old swear words.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or anything along those lines. If I did, Stiles would end up with Derek and be living happily ever after, crazy or no crazy. But I don't, and ****I may go off the deep end though if Jeff Davis kills off Derek, just sayin'. **

* * *

Chapter Six:  
Let It Be

Twenty minutes later, Stiles noticed that she was still wearing her freakin' pajamas as she followed Derek's directions to the heart of the Preserve. According to his crazy sensitive hearing, that's where the explosion occurred. Her fleecy pajama bottoms had little Marceline's from_ Adventure Time _on them, and her favorite Batman t-shirt was all stretched out, the logo faded yet still recognizable. At least her red jacket had been in the car, so she could cover her barely existent boobs. Couldn't say the same thing about her poor feet, though. Man, driving without shoes felt weird -

"Stiles, stop the car."

She pulled her baby over and tensed as Derek put a protective arm around her shoulders. He appeared to be listening to something, his eyes flashing red for moment before he focused his attention on her.

"What is it?"

His eyebrows spelled out trouble. "We're going to have to walk from here."

"Are you serious?! I can't just leave my -"

He silenced her with a chaste kiss to her lips, paralyzing her in mid sentence. Instead of pulling back all the way, his handsome face hovered mere inches from hers, his warm breath on her cheeks. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Gosh darn it, was he going to use that as his secret weapon now or something? If so...she wasn't going to complain. Nopety-nopety-nope; no complaints here!

"You have my undivided attention," she said, her voice coming out a bit rough.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a half smirk. "_Good._"

Without a moments notice, Derek exited the car and came around to her side. She watched in total bewilderment as he came over to the driver's side and opened her door.

"Um Derek? Watcha doin'?"

He simply unbuckled her seat belt for her. "Carrying you."

She blinked at him. When he saw her befuddled expression, he ran a hand over his face in exasperation. "Did you honestly think I was going to make you walk _barefoot_ through the woods?"

Her silence answered his question loud and clear. A vein pulsated in his forehead, but she bit her lip to smother an unwanted stream of nervous giggles.

"Good Lord Stiles, give me a little credit. I'm not _that_ big an asshole," he grumbled, leaning over her and turning the Jeep off. He ended up dropping the keys into her lap, the various metal trinkets jingling like crazy.

The teen nearly fainted as Derek effortlessly scooped her up, her arms automatically locking around his neck and holding on for dear life. He gave her his best bitch face, and her hold loosened some. Oopsie; she had almost pulled a Scooby-Doo. She internally snickered at that, knowing full well that Derek would probably drop her if she had said that out loud.

"Sorry," she said instead. She meant it.

"It's fine, he said softly, shifting his hold on her as he kicked the car door closed.

She hid a smile as she and her Sourwolf set forth into the scary, monster infested forest, on the hunt for the source of the sexy time ruining explosion.

* * *

"_**This is all your fault!**_"

Isaac scoffed as Scott continued to bitch and raise hell about the series of traps that had been triggered. Thanks to Scott and his petty jealousies, the blue eyed boy had set off an extensive and laboriously complicated trap that had caused a freakin' miniature bomb to go off. Seriously, the whole thing had been triggered all at once as they had rolled around on the forest floor. They were lucky that garlic gloves, holy water, and white oak shavings had a tolerable affect on werewolves, otherwise both of them would be dead right now.

Not to mention how fortunate it was that they hadn't tripped on one of the various stake traps instead.

_That would've been messy._

"If you hadn't _shoved_ me, I wouldn't have fell and set off the fucking trap in the first place!"

Scott's crooked jaw set as he struggled not to wolf out. Isaac didn't have as much self-control as Scott, so his claws were fully extended and he was damn close to losing his shit.

"Dude, you were _flirting_ with Allison! How was I supposed to react?!"

The taller boy snarled. _Fuck, the guy just did not get it!_

"By not acting like an overprotective _ex boyfriend_ and more like her friend, Scott! I wasn't hitting on her, it was just innocent banter. Nothing more! Listen to my heartbeat; you _know_ that I'm not lying to you! Why do you insist on fighting with me about this?!"

Scott eyed the other boy dangerously. "You may not be lying, but I can still _smell_ you._** You reek of lust**!"_

And with that, the love-sick teen lunged for Isaac, wolfing out completely. Isaac dodged the angry boy easily as he swung his claws, not wanting to risk setting off any more traps. Lord knows that he wouldn't get the scent of garlic off of his body for at least a couple weeks -

"What in the hell is going on?!"

_Oh shit_. Both Betas froze as an extremely pissed off Allison approached them, loaded crossbow in hand. Isaac took this opportunity to distance himself from Scott, who was distracted by his enraged ex. He quickly hid behind a nearby tree; better to be safe than sorry.

She fearlessly walked right up to Scott and got in his face. He sharply inhaled, trying not to be too aroused by her fierceness_. It was hard. _"Well? Are you two gonna tell me what happened or am I going to have to resort to violence?"

"_YEAH_, _shoot him in the butt, girl!_"

Both Isaac and Scott's jaws dramatically dropped as Derek Hale approached them, carrying none other than a barefoot Stiles bridal style in his arms. It was a sight to see, but the boys were too terrified to say a word. Derek was scowling at the teen wolves with heated disapproval, red eyes glowing crimson with barely repressed rage. Isaac whimpered softly as he cowered behind his tree.

_This would not be good._

Allison was unperturbed by the newcomers presence one bit. In fact, she was staring icily into Scott's now chocolate brown eyes. Shit was getting intense. "Well? I'm waiting for an explanation, Scott."

To make her point, the young huntress aimed the crossbow right under his chin. He gulped. "Um, well, you see, what had happened was - "

" - you got defensive about Allison again?"

Scott shot Stiles a hateful look as Allison's eyes sparked with righteous fury. He cringed under her gaze, praying for a quick and painless death once her finger pulled the trigger.

Derek chuckled darkly a the couple but stayed quiet as Allison slowly lowered her weapon. Scott didn't get a chance to be relieved, however, because his ex started going off on him:

"Scott, it took us_ hours_ to set this up! We had a "slight" chance at weakening them, and now we're screwed! Royally. Screwed! Do you understand the implications of what you've done?! The plan is _ruined_ now, because you can't admit that you're still in love with me! Don't look at me like that, _I know_ you still love me. Really, it's not like you do a good job of hiding it! I' will _always_ love you, okay? But I'm not_ in love_ with you, and you can't just - I-I'm sorry."

Scott brow furrowed in concern as she walked away from them, no doubt so she wouldn't cry in front of them. He made to go after her, but Isaac stopped him. When did he -?

"Just let her go, Scott. She'll be fine in a minute."

He nodded grudgingly, knowing deep down that his friend was right. But even though Allison was over him, he feared would never completely get over her. She was his first love, and it sucked that he upset her.

To put it bluntly, he done fucked up..._again._

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I could use a nap," Stiles said, her face pressing into the crook of Derek's shoulder.

Derek gazed lovingly down at her, and if Isaac didn't fear for his life, he would have awed at the cuteness. They were so freakin' adorable together that it was _ridiculous_. They needed to confess their love soon, or he was gonna blow a gasket. Scott tried not to gag as Derek turned abruptly on his heal and away from the dumb ass teen wolves and in the direction of Stiles' Jeep.

Now all they had to do was wait for the sun to set, 'cause that's when the real danger usually made itself known.


	7. Everybody Wants You

**A/N:**

**Holy cow! This fic has over two thousand views, and _so many_ favorites and followers! Thank you very much dear readers, I appreciate your platonic love and support immensely.**

**I'm so sorry that I'm reposting this; I revised this chapter because I felt like it needed tweaking.**

**O-O-O-O**

**Quick Shout Outs ~ **

**PsychoticSmartypants: Glad that you liked the Isaac bit. He's such a sweetheart, isn't he? And I will be sure to keep updating!**

**MandyTwika: Very glad that you like this fic so much and I'll be sure to update ASAP!**

**O-O-O-O**

**Note: Chapter is rated T for creepiness, curse words, fluff, terms of endearment, etc. **

**P.S. This is the longest chapter I have written yet, folks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or anything associated with it. I do however own my OC's so hands off!**

* * *

Chapter Seven:  
Everybody Wants You

It was late afternoon when Stiles awoke to the delicious smell of fresh curly fries. Smiling brightly, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and kicked off her covers. Nothing made a cat nap more perfect than your neighborhood wolf man bringing home your favorite food in the entire world. Well, except for being carried up the stairs and tucked in by said wolf man while you were passed out. That was a given in her crazy, supernatural infested life these days.

It was nice to be pleasantly surprised for a change.

As she quickly stripped and hopped in the shower, her mind began to wander: what did Derek expect out of their relationship? She wouldn't be eighteen for a couple months, not to mention how inexperienced she was when it came to relationships. This thought made her frown in contemplation. Was Derek even looking for a relationship, or was this going to be more of a friends-with-benefits thing with no strings attached kind of thing? Or maybe he didn't believe in labels? She had no idea. Kate had been his secret girlfriend, even though she was so much older than him at the time.

_Wait._ How old was Derek, anyway? Like twenty-one, twenty two? She had no clue, and it wasn't like she could just ask him . . . or could she?

She paused for a second after turning the faucet off. The worst Derek could do was evade the topic, right? No, wait, the worst thing he could do is shutdown and walkaway. Yeah, that was definitely worse. Much worse. Like, mind-nubbing, heart-stoppingly worse. Having him around made her feel safer. How in the world would she manage without him?

Stiles shook her head of this nonsense as she wrapped a towel around herself and reentered her bedroom. She'd been fine without him before, she could certainly handle it if he decided to leave. Sure it would hurt, but life would go on as it did before he became apart of it. She could, _would,_ handle it, if it came down to that.

But damn, she _really_ hoped it wouldn't.

Because not having him around would majorly suck.

_A lot._

She took her time picking out an outfit, unaware that she was even doing so. Stiles wasn't one of those girly-girls who took the time to color coordinate and match up her clothes. No sir, she was one of those tomboyish girls who smelt her t-shirts to make sure they were clean and wore the same pair of blue jeans three days in a row. At the moment though, she was making an unconscious effort to make herself presentable for her - love interest? - Derek Hale.

Did she even own anything besides hoodies...?

It took her a while, but she finally found an outfit that met normal girl standards of decency. She had randomly picked out one of her favorite flannel button-up shirts, a white and black one, slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans, and red high tops. And of course, what outfit is complete without accessories? She made a face at the uncharacteristically feminine thought.

_Holy fuck_, _Lydia was rubbing off on her._

It wasn't often that she had to go through her mother's jewelry box. As her nimble fingers lifted the smooth, wooden lid with care, she marveled at it's contents with a smidgen of sadness. It had been gifted to her by her father for her sixteenth birthday. She normally didn't like wearing jewelry, since it tended to get in the way during lacrosse practice. Desperate times called for desperate measures, she supposed.

Minutes later, she came upon a set of pretty studded pins, marveling at the practical simplicity. Her mother had had long, silky hair not unlike hers before she cut it all off in sixth grade. With longer hair, Stiles looked more like her mother than she cared to admit out loud. The young lady smiled a little as she slipped one of the pins in her hair, to hold back a shorter lock of hair.

She grinned cheekily at her reflection in the vanity, dimples showing. Her mother would have liked Derek, she was sure of it.

After some further spelunking in her mother's treasures, she came upon something that she never thought she'd see again: her mother's moonstone necklace. The stone itself was about the size of a penny, set in a crescent moon shaped pendant around the size of a quarter. It was beautiful, priceless, extraordinary; she had believed her mother had been buried with it, until now.

As she slipped it around her neck, it strangely felt like it belonged there, the coolness of the sterling silver chain oddly soothing. This necklace had been a family heirloom, and her mother had rarely taken it off. How could her father have neglected to mention it? Unless, he had just been too respectful to go through his deceased wife's jewelry box before he gave it to his only daughter...?

She snorted at the thought. Yep, that sounded like the Sheriff.

The teen gave herself a once over in the mirror hanging on the back of her bathroom door, eyes narrowing in speculation. "Good as it's gonna get, Stilinski," she muttered, unaware of a set of eyes watching her intently.

* * *

The hooded figure watched the human girl with immense interest as she sorted through her endless articles of clothing. He was fascinated by Alpha Hale's choice in a mate, for she was far from what his leader described her to be. She was barely into her late teens, for goodness sake! Admittedly, she was a beautiful young lady, with eyes the color of whiskey and flawless porcelain skin that he longed to sink his teeth into -

He closed his eyes to calm himself, listening to the sickeningly sweet sound of her mortal heart beating. He would never forget the first time he heard the glorious pitter-patter of a human's heartbeat after he became Nosferatu. It reminded him that he, too, used to be fragile. That human life was but a flaming candle, waiting to be put out by merciful Death. He bit his lip to smother a sentimental sigh, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

His lingering human nature always seemed to get the best of him.

It was such a pity, really. If only Hale were elsewhere; then maybe he would have a shot at convincing Stiles to talk the bite of the Nosferatu. Befriend her first, drawing her in, then offering her the bite in a classy manner so she wouldn't immediately decline. He would give her a choice, of course, because he was an old fashioned kind of guy. Alas, once an Alpha's wolf chose a mate, only he and he alone could break the bond. The creature of the night smirked at the thought, his pointed canine's sticking out a bit. In fact, he would bet his immortal soul that Hale had no idea what he had done. That he had unintentionally marked Stiles as _his_.

The vampire didn't need to be empathetic to know that only fools fall in love.

And that, if given the chance, he would steal the girl away.

* * *

Jesus, Derek felt like an idiot. After Stiles had fallen asleep, he had run out and fetched (pun not intended, but laugh if you want to) some food from her favorite diner in town. He had even made sure that she had more curly fries than he did! What in the hell was happening to him? He didn't do romantic, and he certainly didn't do emotions. They made you weak, soft, vulnerable; he couldn't be any of those things if he was going to be a proper Alpha -

His internal ranting stopped in its tracks as Stiles made her way down the stairs. _Ah crap_. He tried to appear disinterested as she entered the kitchen, but failed miserably the moment she stepped foot into the room.

_She was gorgeous_. Of course Derek knew this, but by god, she was so _beautiful_ without even fucking trying. For once, Stiles had managed to match her clothes, a feat that he mentally applauded. Good for her. In her hair she wore several shiny silver pins, which held back an uneven part of her bangs. Very interesting; she sometimes wore barrettes in her hair, but never fancy pins. The necklace that she wore around her neck was extremely fascinating, a history clinging to it that he yearned to know. He was transfixed by this young woman standing before him, giving him a shy smile as he appraised her appearance.

_Where in the world did his tomboy go and who was this lovely creature?_

The teenager fidgeted under his gaze, rubbing the hem of her flannel shirt between her fingers anxiously.

"Do I look okay?" She asked him quietly.

He snapped out of his reverie and gave her a small, hopefully encouraging smile. "You look amazing."

Her eyes lit up as the words left his mouth. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, handsome."

Derek's face felt flushed as she gave him a wink. He wasn't wearing anything special: he had just shaved his face, threw on some clothes, and grabbed them some dinner. If he'd had the time, he would have showered and re-gelled his hair. He took pride in his appearance, when he had the time. Was she just being nice? Or did he -

"Whoa, dude, breathe," Stiles suddenly said, her hands lightly touching his face. They were so soft, so reassuring. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He felt like a moronic, love sick teenager all over again . . .

"Sorry," he coughed, quickly looking away. She was rubbing off on him, goddamn it. "I, uh, got us some food, in case your hungry."

He wanted to face palm himself for sounding like a pubescent twerp. Stiles didn't seem to notice, however, as she headed over to the kitchen table to investigate. Some primal part of him had wanted to impress her, so he had set out the out on plates from the china cabinet and poured the milkshakes into actual glasses. He hadn't wanted to overdo it, so no, there was no cheesy romantic song playing in the background or freshly lit candles.

But there was an unexplained bouquet of roses sitting in front of Stiles' plate.

Yeah, he might have been a closet romantic . . .

Stiles turned to him slowly, and he could have sworn her eyes were watering. "Derek? You did all of this for me?"

He licked his lips nervously. "Is that okay?"

She nodded, and he could smell the gratitude rolling off of her in waves. "It's more okay, dude. Way more than okay." She sat ungracefully into her chair, popping a curly fry into her mouth. "Oh my god, Derek, you are_ the best!_"

His wolf beamed with pride. He had made Stiles happy, therefore, he was happy. He had been afraid that this was too much, that he had gone way overboard. Sue him for trying to please his girl -_ the girl he liked more than a friend_. Yeah, that was it.

After she took a long sip from her milkshake (chocolate, of course), Derek sat himself across from her and dug into his food. He hadn't felt this, well, _relieved, _in years. In the middle of chowing down, Stiles looked at him and grinned sheepishly.

"You know, this technically counts as my first date."

He nearly choked on a bite of his burger. Because _say what?_

"You've - you've never been on a date before?"

Stiles laughed out right at his incredulous tone. "Are you serious? If you didn't notice, I'm not exactly hot on the market. I'm like, one of the guys; they don't see me as dating material, you know? I'm just - um - Stiles. Yeah. Just Stiles."

She bit her lip and looked down at her plate, playing with a lone curly fry. Derek's wolf seethed. He wanted to rip everyone who had ever treated Stiles less than a lady a new one.

"You're more than 'just Stiles'," he found himself saying, and her head snapped up, wide eyes meeting his. "You're - you're so smart, it's crazy. You know so much about the most random crap, but you know everything about it. You talk a lot, but you can't help it 'cause you get really hyper and can't focus when you forget to take your meds. You would anything for the ones you love, and I respect that. You're so thoughtful, and kind, and just - you just care about everyone. You're beautiful, inside and out, fuck anyone else who tells you different. You're amazing, Stiles, you really are."

Stiles jaw had dropped somewhere around the middle of his miniature speech, and for some reason he felt lighter. Maybe it was because he finally got his feelings off his chest? Or because she hadn't run out in the middle of it instead? Either way, Stiles was in shock and he felt better for telling her how he felt.

It took her a minute or two to collect herself. And when she did, Derek's heart actually skipped a freakin' beat. Because holy crap, she looked so damn happy. Her dimples were showing and her amber eyes were so bright with what could only be affection._ He did that_, he thought to himself, his wolf yipping joyously.

"I think that is the most I've ever heard you say," she said randomly, popping his happy bubble. "You should talk more often."

He shot her a crooked grin instead of snarling. "Talk in general? Or just talk about you?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, a light blush settling over her cheeks. She seemed to be pretending he didn't exist as she got up to clear away the dishes. Like the gentleman he was, he got up and helped, being extra careful not to use his bone-crushing strength on the fragile dishware.

He had learned that lesson long ago.

When he found himself standing behind her by the sink, she inhaled sharply before turning around and facing him. Something distinct showed in her eyes, a longing that he understood. He reached around her and put his dishes in the sink, his eyes never leaving hers. He caught himself by surprise when his arms encircled her tiny waist, her lips slightly parted.

"Derek," she whimpered, as he scented her neck.

His wolf approved of the sound, as did the bulge in his pants.

He pulled back slightly, eyeing her lips with interest. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed Stiles as he had never kissed her before.

_And more importantly, she kissed him back._

* * *

Stiles couldn't believe what was happening. Derek Hale had made, well,_ brought her,_ a romantic dinner, gorgeous flowers, and _was kissing her in her kitchen!_ Was this even happening right now or was it all a beautiful dream? Fuck she hoped not. That would be a tragic thing, especially since Derek was a fantastic kisser.

If this wasn't real and she woke up alone in bed, she was gonna be _pissed._

Kissing Derek was _way_ better than kissing Scott on a dare back in the sixth grade. Her best friend had been sloppy, slobbery, and a downright terrible kisser. How did Allison stand it? Maybe he'd gotten better, but honestly, she didn't care. Her Derek was clearly a professional, as he nipped her bottom lip and drew out a low moan.

If this is all that he wanted from her, who was she to dispute it?

He was crowding her against the sink, his arms holding her in place. He was so strong, so amazing, so wonderful; he had said so many awesome things about her that she didn't know which was up and how in the world she hadn't passed out by now. He had taken her flaws and made them sound unique, like they were a good part of her. He had told her how saw her, how beautiful she was in his eyes. It was astonishing, how deep Derek was when he shared his feelings.

He had every reason not to open to her, and yet he had. That alone spoke volumes.

As his tongue expertly explored her mouth, she couldn't help herself: she let it all go. Her insecurities, her anxieties, her unhappiness. She allowed her walls to crumble as she delightedly kissed him back. And why not? She's fallen head over heels for Derek Hale! As his full lips repeatedly - _perfectly_ - smack against hers, she feels content. Deep down, she knows that Derek would probably never love her back, but at least for the moment she can pretend that he could.

At least for a little while.


	8. Fever

**A/N:**

******Holy mother of cheesecake! To those of you who have chosen to favorite and follow this fic, you have my undying appreciation and gratitude. ********And to my awesome reviewers, I have a great big thank you to all of you as well. You guys have been so positive since I started writing this, giving me such wonderful reviews it makes me smile whenever I receive your praises on my work! Thank you thank you thank you!**

*******Tweaked a bit on Jan. 24. 2014 & Feb. 3. 2014.**

**O-O-O-O**

**Quick Shout Outs~**

**Zoey24: Oh my goodness! This is in my top five favorite reviews I have ever received, starting right now. I'm happy that you like this enough to read it more than once; I'm an avid reader myself, so I totally get it ;) And I'm glad that you like my character POV's, that really means a lot. I double guess myself constantly, so I'm always editing other chapters and trying to rewrite as much as possible. I think Stiles' POV is the most fun to write, since her thoughts are all over the place. And I will be sure to continue the awesomeness that is Sterek, I promise!**

**Orion'slover: Thank you very much! I'm glad that you've taken an interest in this fic, and I'll be sure to keep it going til the end :)**

**O-O-O-O**

**Note: Chapter is rated M for sexual tension you can cut with a knife, dirty curse words, creepy uncles, drama bombs, lovey-dovey stuff, etc. **

**P. S. S. Get comfortable, you're in for another long chapter dear readers! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor do I own anything associated with it. Especially Stiles, whose face is so expressive it's ridiculous. But I do however own my OC's.**

* * *

Chapter Eight:  
Fever

Lydia Martin was many things, but coy was not one of them. When she wanted something, she was quick and to the point, her sharp tongue charming the target of her choice until they submitted. It was a lovely thing, being able to break people down and have them grovel at your feet. She was the master of manipulation, using every weapon in her arsenal to her disposal. She was cunning, like a hunter stalking it's prey; posed and ready to strike when the time was right.

It was a pity that she hadn't been able to use her talents much since she became the town loon.

As she flipped her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder, she knew exactly was doing. Every boy in the crowded hallway was staring at her, lust making their eyes gloss over and their tongues loll out of their empty heads. She rolled her green eyes in exasperation; typical teenage boy behavior around anything with a pair of boobs. It was ridiculous, how easily she could have any one of them wrapped around her finger in seconds.

But she wasn't after them. Oh no, this time she had her eyes set on a very different prize: the new guy. There was something about him that interested her, made her want to flaunt her stuff to catch his attention. She figured why the hell not, since she had been single for nearly six months now. She hadn't had the mental capacity to date anyone new since Jackson broke up with her (and she lost her mind, etc.), and now was the time to make her status known.

She might not be the queen bee of the school anymore, but that didn't mean that she didn't still have sex appeal.

The new guy was standing in front of his newly assigned locker, taking his sweet time picking out his class materials. He was tall, about six foot, with raven black hair, cheekbones to die for, and piercing green eyes that saw right through you. You could see the outline of his lean muscles through his leather jacket, and his tight ass was rather appealing in his designer jeans. Lydia knew a bad boy when she saw one. His whole demeanor screamed "I'm dangerous", but the way he carried himself said "I'm looking for a friend". She was more than happy to be of service.

She could feel the whole school watching her as she strutted across the way and stood calmly beside him, cheerful smile in place.

_Show time._

"Hello," she said, her sultry voice level yet authoritative. The new guy turned to her on a dime, looking her up and down with immense interest. She inwardly smirked, because of course he was checking her out. She was wearing a tight, form-fitting turquoise dress with a flared skirt, her feet clad in nude peep-toed pumps (which accentuated her elegant, smooth shaven legs). Her lips were painted in a flattering coral lipstick, making them appear full and luscious. She looked damn good, and she knew it.

"My name is Lydia Martin, and you have the pleasure of being shown around campus by me today. No if's, and's, or butt's about it, mister. You're stuck with me. Got it?"

He appeared befuddled for all of five seconds before nodding. "A person can used to anything if given enough time."

An unaccustomed warmth bloomed in her chest. He had unknowingly just quoted her favorite Nicholas Spark's book and movie, _The Notebook_. As they studied each other, Lydia decided that she liked this guy already.

"What's your name, stranger?"

He shot her a wicked grin as he slammed his locker shut. "Indigo Hughes."

Interesting name for an interesting guy. "First class of the day?"

He glanced at his schedule. "AP English with Crawford. And you can call me Indy, little lady."

She beamed at him, pearly whites a gleaming. _This was too easy_. "What a coincidence, that's also my first block."

He offered her the crook of his elbow, giving her a shy smile. "Walk you to class?"

"Of course, Indy. I wouldn't have it any other way."

As they walked arm-in-arm down the hall, the fair skinned seductress calculated that she would have the poor guy all to herself in no time flat.

_That was a promise._

* * *

_From the moment Stiles opened her eyes, she knew exactly where she was: in front of the Hale house in the Preserve. Problem was, she had no idea how she come to be here, or what her purpose to being here was. As she came closer to the house, the faint smell of charred wood and ash tickled her nose, her eyes watering in sympathy. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one, sure, but not her entire family. __A heavy weight settled in her chest, and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying out in despair. __She couldn't begin to imagine losing her dad, too; he was the only family she had left. __Was this how Derek felt all the time? Is that why he kept Peter around? To have a reminder of what was left of his family?_

_She steps timidly onto the front porch, goose bumps instantly rising on her arms. The teen was only wearing a thin tank top and shorts, her bare feet icy cold on the wooden surface. She didn't have time to wonder where her shoes went, however, because the front door flew open and scared her half to death._

_And she might have flailed ungracefully backwards, landing on her butt._

_By the way, the porch was not comfortable in any way, shape or form._

_"Stiles?" A familiar voice said from above her, she just about fainted at the sight before her very eyes._

_Was she seeing things, or was their a young Derek Hale gazing down at her? At least, that's who he appeared to be. This guy was a good six or seven years younger than the Derek she knew, and about half a foot shorter. His face was younger, softer, with no stubble to be found; it was weird to see him clean shaven for once. And holy crap, where did all of his muscles go?! He wasn't a shrimp, mind you, but damn it she loved his broad shoulders and rock hard abs..._

_A hand waving in front of her face snapped her out of her thoughts instantly. "Sorry, Derek, was just thinking 'bout something."_

_He gave her a toothy grin and she blushed at the absurdity of him looking at her like that. It was still Derek, just different, she chided herself._

_"Isn't that dangerous?" He teased lightly, invading her personal space. Oh wow, he was so close now. When did he crouch down to her level?_

_She scoffed, clutching an invisible strand of pearls around her neck. "Why, I did believe that is an insult to my intelligence!"_

_He chuckled as he stood up, offering her his hand. She gladly took it, marveling at how her hand still felt the same clutched in his. Well, duh, of course it would, she thought to herself with a mental face palm. It's still Derek, just less broody and more smiley. _

_He caught her off guard by pulling their bodies flush together. __The teen wolf's __arms wrapped around her lean frame, his calloused hands resting on the small of her back as his smiling lips ghosted over her chapped ones. Her breathing hitched as he hungrily watched her, predator vs. prey, his hazel grey eyes dark with desire and longing._

_Damn, she loved it when he looked at her like that._

_In a heart beat, his lips crashed against hers in a passionate kiss. She gasped in pleasure as he rolled his hips against hers, h__er fingers instinctively weaving their way into his hair__. __It was a lot softer without hair gel, much more appealing; she'd have to make a mental note to get older Derek to stop using whatever the hell he put in his hair from time to time. Making out with young Derek__ was just like when had made out with his older self (just as smooth, experienced, and eager for more), o__nly this time Derek was short enough to where he didn't have to stoop over to kiss her. That was a definite plus in her book. __As they panted against each other, Stiles' felt so al-_

_"Derek, where did - oh, hey Stiles," a voice purred, making Derek go rigid against her._

_"Fuck off, Peter," Stiles growled, and she could have sworn she saw a glint of pride in Derek's eyes._

_Her boyfriend's murderous uncle gave her a malicious grin. Seeing young Peter was just as surreal as young Derek was, if not more so. And just as weird._

_"Now, now, such language is not called for, my dear Stiles. I was just wondering where my nephew ran off to - and now my curiosity is satisfied."_

_"Awesome. Now go the hell away."_

_Derek's lips turned into a distasteful snarl as his uncle reluctantly obliged, leaving the two teenagers alone together once more. Stiles shuddered, and not in a good way; being around Peter still gave her the creeps. She couldn't be around him for long without wanting to get the fuck away from the pompous asshole. _

_Her Sourwolf brought her out of her thoughts as he nuzzled her neck, huffing in agitation. "I hate it when he does that."_

_She wrapped her arms loosely around him. God, he was so_ warm_. "I do too, boo. And how come he didn't he just 'sense' that I was here? Hmm?"_

_Derek snorted, his breath hot against her skin. "Because Lydia threw mountain ash in his face and now he can't smell worth a damn."_

_"Oh my god, seriously?! I should have done that ages ago!"_

_She loved feeling of Derek's body racking with silent laughter as they held each other. This was how it should always be between them - open, trusting, loving. They shouldn't have their walls up around each other. They should just be themselves. Derek actually had a pretty wicked sense of humor. Together, they could rule the world with sarcasm and witty banter and puns! Lots of werewolf related puns that would turn out to be inside jokes so only they would know what was so funny -_

_"Stiles? I have to tell you something," Derek suddenly blurted out, pulling back so that they were face to face._

_He looked so serious, it practically broke her heart. "What is it Derek?"_

_The love in his eyes was blinding. "I wanted to ask you - "_

"Stiles! Sweetheart, why aren't you up yet?! You're going to be late for school!"

Stiles groaned loudly and threw one of her fluffy pillows over her face. What a crazy dream. She wasn't sure what had prompted it, but she wasn't exactly complaining, either. Kissing a handsome - or rather, _dangerously attractive_ - young Derek was not something a girl should complain about. It was something to behold, to relish for the rest of her days, to hold dear to your heart until the day you die -

"Stiles? Are you okay?"

She just about peed her pants as she scrambled out from under her covers. "_Oh my god_. Derek, we seriously need to have a talk about you breaking and entering my house. I swear that it's becoming hazardous to my health."

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, and she threw a pillow at him. He easily dodged it, of course, the bastard. As he sat in her desk chair, her eyes skimmed appreciatively over the tightness of his grey Henley. It was one of her favorite shirts that he wore, mostly because it accentuated his powerful build and made him look tough. _Not to mention sexy._

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

She shook her head, a pleased smile playing on her lips. "Oh nothing. I just like your shirt is all."

He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing as she crossed the room over to her closet. She stared hopelessly into the abyss before she turned to her sort of boyfriend and threw her hands up in defeat.

"_Help me I'm late and I have nothing to wear!_"

It was silent for all of two awkward minutes before Derek was covering his mouth as he convulsed with laughter. The teen scowled at the werewolf in disdain. Her pain was _so_ not funny.

"I'm being _serious_, Der! I have to get ready for school and I have _no idea_ what I'm going to wear."

He struggled to pull himself together. "I know, I know. It's just, seeing you mad is freakin' adorable." His eyes widened when he realized what he said, and the big bad wolf tried (and failed) to take his words back. "Uh, what I meant was -"

"Nah-uh, it's too late, babe. It's out there now."

"_Stiles_ -"

"Derek Hale thinks that I, Stiles Stilinski, am _adorable_," she said haughtily, giving the Alpha a smug look. "I will never forget this, Sourwolf. _Never ever_."

He put his handsome face in his hands, his eyes closed with faux grief. "I don't know why I even bother."

She leaned over and sloppily kissed his stubbled cheek. "Because I'm awesome and you _adore_ me."

He snorted involuntarily. "Yeah, that's totally it."

She fake pouted as he thumped her forehead lightly and stood up. _Jerk butt_. He surprised her when he approached her closet, leafing through her clothes with a strange tenderness on his features. Were his wolf senses going haywire with memories clinging to her clothes? Or was he worrying about something pack related? Knowing Derek, it could anything, so...yeah.

When he ended up producing a pair of her favorite holey blue jeans, an X-Men t-shirt, and a worn out pair of black cowgirl boots she had forgotten that she even owned, she was impressed.

Who knew that Derek Hale had a sense of style?

"You sir, are a _god!_" She declared, as she all but ran to her bathroom for some privacy.

Stiles knew her dad was probably passed out in his room by now (considering that she was two hours late for school and he had just undergone two twenty four hour shifts), so she didn't worry about her sudden outburst. Once her dad was out, he was dead to the world.

When she slipped and her head nearly made acquaintance with her sink, she didn't mutter every profanity under the sun at the innocent bathroom appliance.

She also didn't do a dance when she finally zipped up the jeans that almost caused her untimely demise.

And she definitely didn't ignore Derek as he laughed his ass off in the other room, not even bothering to be subtle.

Yep, she pretended that didn't just happen at all.

* * *

As Lydia introduced him to her group of friends, Indy noticed something right off the bat: someone was missing. A certain whiskey-eyed someone who should be there but wasn't. Why was she late? Was she caught up with Alpha Hale? Was she ill? More importantly, why was he worrying so much about a human he didn't even know? His mind was a mess, that's for sure.

And what about this Lydia girl? She was clearly out to make him hers. From the way she subtly kept touching his arm or flirting with him shamelessly, it was clear to him (and everyone around them) that she was interested. More than interested, actually; more like hopelessly infatuated. He could go with that angle. He thought she was an interesting girl, and he knew that he could easily fall for her as he had fallen for Stiles.

It was a mistake to get involved with anyone associated with the Hale pack, but still; he needed to get involved in their group somehow. Why not get in by feigning interest in this fiery girl?

This was going to coincide with his Alpha's plans perfectly.

Speaking of which, he caught a whiff of vanilla hit him full on as a student rushed into the library: _Stiles_. He would know her scent anywhere. It was a unique blend of vanilla and mint, mixed with Hale's; probably because they'd been all over each other for the past couple days. Thankfully, he had masterful control of his emotions so the others had no idea how angry this made him. As she approached their table, he wanted to hit something really badly. Why? Because she had a_ hickey_ on her beautiful_ neck_, right where he had wanted to mark her a few days ago.

It was infuriating, how the Alpha was unknowingly making him insanely jealous.

Lydia's eyes lit up at the sight of her friend. From what he had pieced together so far, they had just recently become good friends. Stiles had had a crush on her for the longest time, but it had deteriorated the beginning of freshman year. They were two of the smartest young women in Beacon Hills (and possibly in the county), and they were as opposite as could be.

It was fascinating, how well they got along and how different they were from one another.

"Stiles honey, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we want to know where you've been."

The short haired girl rolled her eyes over-dramatically before giving her friend a sheepish look. "I woke up late, okay? Derek came over, we . . . talked, and he drove me to school. End of story."

Lydia wasn't buying it. "Wrong_._ That is _clearly_ not the end of the story," she said pointing to the small mark on her friend's neck for emphasis.

Stiles sighed. "Alright, you got me: I might have made out with him in the car before I came in here . . ."

Dani, who had been watching this ordeal play out with a knowing smirk, chose this moment to speak up: "_Puh_-lease, girlfriend. This was way more than just an innocent make out session. Spill!"

Stiles ran a hand through her hair nervously. "_Well_, there might have been some heavy petting. And a bit of biting . . ."

Allison's flawless eyebrows shot straight up. "You're into that kind of thing? Huh. Never would have pegged you for the type."

Indy watched the whole scene before him play out in amused silence. It was like he wasn't even there; just the way he liked it.

Stiles shrugged, failing to hide a devious grin. "Me either. But that's as far as we've gotten, okay?"

Lydia nodded after a moment, believing her friend. She was a clever soul, always calculating and making it her priority to figure out the truth.

It figures that at this moment that she would notice that he was watching her and give him a flirtatious smile. The girl had nice teeth, devilish charm, high ambitions. She would make a good vampire, he mused to himself, as she took her place beside him.

"Stiles, this Indy. He just moved here from Louisiana and we have English and Physics with him."

Stiles gave him an abrupt nod. "Nice to meet you, Indy. Is Indy short for something?"

He gave her a charming smile. "Indigo, actually. But my friends call me Indy."

She noticeably tensed when he said that, and he wondered why.

Lydia regained his attention by placing a hand possessively on his knee, and squeezing it until he refocused on her. She was giving him a dominating stare, one that he took as a warning: _don't touch her, she's someone else's._ Her gave the strawberry blonde a brisk nod and a reassuring smile, and she relaxed significantly.

It was strange how well they communicated, when they had only been around each other for half a school day. Even stranger how empty he felt when Lydia's touch left him longing, yearning for her fingers to touch him again. For her lips to grace his own with a lustful kiss.

He suppressed a wave of concern, keeping his face as neutral as possible as the four girls chatted on without him.

His undead heart seemed to jump in his chest when Lydia licked her lips in an attempt to rile him up.

Oddly enough, it was working.

_Perhaps their was more to Lydia Martin than he originally thought._


End file.
